George King (1864-1940)
George King, born in 1864, was the second eldest son of Henry King. Henry King was a well known Bunbury brickmaker and bricklayer who built and lived in the King Cottage Museum on Blackwood Road, Bunbury (reference; reference).
An anonymous contributor to the Bunbury Herald recalled George as a schoolboy: "They were good old days, those old schooldays, with George King and Jack Sinclair and Alfred Hislop and all the other boys of our class on mischief bent, and plenty of time wherein to carry out our heart's desire. King was the ringleader in most of our escapades; and could look as solemn as a tombstone when we were either in fear or trembling, or doubled up with laughter." (reference).
George went with his brothers William and James to the Murchison Goldfields as a young man (reference). In 1892, the brothers, in partnership with two other men named Adlam and Buckley discovered a reef on Lake Austin near Cue. Their claim was described as "a magnificent one, and its extreme richness can be appreciated when I state that four men are dollying from 35ozs. to 40ozs. per week. If a battery were on the claim the yield would be almost incredible" (reference). Initially, this was a successful claim and at the end of 1892 it was reported that "There arrived by the train from Minginew on Saturday night last, three different parties from the Island, Lake Austin, viz., Messrs. Hughes and Cause of the "Shamrock" Mr. King, of the "Evening Star" and Mr. Hillyard, of the "Golden Gate Lease" bringing with them, in all, about 2,000 ounces of gold" (reference).
In 1893, the Bunbury Herald reported: "We are pleased to be able to report that two sons of Mr. H. King, Senr., have been fortunate enough to secure a good claim on the Murchison Goldfield. Messrs. George and William King and two partners of the names of Buckley and Adlam after a large amount of prospecting, happened to discover a good lead of gold on an island in Lake Austin; and on further testing it they found that it contained a fair amount of alluvial gold and several rich shoots off the reef. Already the four partners have succeeded in washing about 2,000 ounces of the precious metal and are able to say that they have sufficiently tested the ground to prove that there is ample to keep them washing for a further two years. The claim which is known as "The Evening Star", is four acres in extent and should be worth a fortune each to the lucky finders. Mr G. King, who paid a visit to this town by the Albany, had in his possession three pieces of stone each about the size of an ordinary man's fist and which are valued at £30 each. We understand that the holders of the claim intend endeavouring to float a company to work the claim and with this object in view the specimens will be exhibited in the Perth Stock Exchange for a few days" (reference).
In 1894, The Bunbury Herald reported that William and George were still doing well from their claim at Lake Austin: "The claim has turned out large quantities of gold, and is becoming richer at a lower depth. The Murchison Times of 29 August in referring to this claim, says — 'Every stroke of the pick brings to light glittering masses of the precious metal, more gold than stone being a better description of the appearance presented by the face in six different places. So valuable is the stone now being raised that one of the partners is constantly engaged in watching it on the surface." (reference).
In 1898, William and George started prospecting at the 'Donnybrook Goldfield', which they were convinced contained payable reefs as well as alluvial gold (reference). George had returned to Bunbury in the late 1890s and married Mary Ann Shanahan from Dardanup in 1897 (reference, reference). He advertised for tenders to build two brick houses in Moore Street, Bunbury, in 1898. They were living in that street by 1904 (reference; reference).
George invested in building houses. In 1904, George advertised for someone to plaster a wood cottage (reference). In 1906, he advertised for tenders to build five weatherboard cottages (reference; reference; reference). These were likely on Ednie Street as George King owned 13, 15, 17 and 19 Ednie Street, while Mary King owned the land at 21 Ednie Street.
The South Bunbury News columnist, who was prone to a little exaggeration, stated: "George King, one of our most progressive citizens, has decided to build about a hundred model workmen's cottages. There is no doubt that in fifty years' time, we shall bracket George's name with Peabody and Plimsoll as a benefactor of the human race" (reference). George's father, Henry, took up market gardening in his later life. It appears that George was also into horticulture as he was selling a variety of vegetable plants in the early 1920s (reference; reference) and when he advertised land for sale in Moore Street, the house was described as having "planted fruit trees and 60 vines, full bearing" (reference).
Around 1928, George and Mary moved to Vincent Street, North Perth, with their younger children (reference, reference). George and Mary had seven children: Claude (b.1898), Doris (b.1899), Eileen (b.1902), Stella (b.1903), twins Irene and Mary "Mollie" (b.1910) and Nancy (b.1914). Stella died when she was just five months old (reference). Claude served in World War One and later worked for the railways (reference; reference). He married Linda Haley from Mullewa in 1936 (reference). Doris worked at the Narrogin Flour Mill before marrying Herbert Dyson of Kellerberrin in 1923 (reference; reference). Irene married Les Ward of North Perth in 1936 (reference) and Mollie (Mrs Maddern) lived in Melbourne Eileen. Nancy didn't marry (reference).
George died in 1940, aged 73 years, followed by Mary in 1959 when she was 86 years old (reference; reference).
Written by Gaye Englund for the Streets of Bunbury project.